Apparatus for processing sugars and the like



APIE? 31, 1943- J. J. NEUMAN 2,328,395

APPARATUS FoR PROCESSING SUGAR AND TRE LIKE Filed March 24, 1939 INVENTOR.

` pointedoutintheappendedclaim.V n 1 processingunitinot shown). Y; e

`rsumer!larg."31,1943

TES? PATENT-11;.; "j 'YnrrARATUs-frio'lt PRocEssiNGsnGARs Y i ANn'rnELmn a f applicaties-Marcil 24, V19:.aseriai no; saeu V Thisinventionrelatesgtoinewanduseful-im# A provements" in apparatus for" proeessingrsugars l `and the like and'is directed more particularly to v heating and simultaneouslyfagitating the mate-. rial beingproce'ssed in a treating vessel byv means of `a rotatable heating screw in fluid` communi- .cation witha heat'transferring medium and pref l lsenting a continuus heat transferring surfacev Vto the material being processed,` the invention U 1 l havingfor its primary object to supportlthe agitating helix intermediate [its "ends `and Jat the same time permit unimpeded `passage thrugh f the intermediate support of the-materialunderl going treatment. i Y f t l To this endtherinvention consists in the provision of aring member securedto the" apex of one of the jilights, of the apex'intermediate the ends of the latter and astationary channel `member in the treating vessel `forming abear-j With the foregoing and other objectsfin view, the inventionwill be describedmore fully hereinafter, illustrated byway of example in the acdrawing and y more particularly i ing vfor the ring member@` companying Referring tothe drawing fin whichnmnera of like character designate similar parts throughf` l out the several views-- j shaft as clearly shown in Fig. 3` for one end 3 ofthe screw conveyor. )In order to insure proper :shaft shavingY welded or otherwiselsuitably sei curedthereto-a hollow helicalelement SIsubsta-n-` l tial'ly V-s'haped Vin 'cross-section and arranged". `to provldeaboutV the periphery ofthe shaft a continuous helical conduit `Ill for a.` heat transferring fluid, the helical erlernentbeing Veither sectionalized as shownv in Fig; 1 with .the ends of adjacent sections welded or otherwise suitably .Y e Y secured together,` or said helical element ,may be formed as a single'memberas shown in Fig.` 3. The tubular shaft `8 is rotatably supported ad- 3 jacent its oppositee ends in the Vwalls of the trough Iand has an'inletconnection I I andan i a suitable source (not shown). Adjacent' its opposite ends, the' helical conduit Ill is in oommunication Vwith the interior. of the shaft 8 `by means of radial openings I3 provided inthe "1 flowfof the heat transferring fluid through the jIIig.` 1 is 'aQvertlcaLsectional view taken `through materialtreating apparatus embodying .the presentl inventions v Fig. l2;is"an enlarged sectional tion of the agitatinghelixfof Fig. lf'showing the intermediate bearing *support` therefor,4 and Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary detail View in helical conduit,a\sealing plug I4V is Vprovided addacent the `inlet: end V(if-"the shaftv-'and in-I wardly of the radial openings I3 so that all heat transferring fluid admitted to the inlet end the' shaft passes into theconduit IIJ.`

When treating 'relatively' thickmag`mas and the like, :paddles .I5 may be provdedgonV the-periphery ofthe'shaft between adjacentturns of the helical element VSi asgclearly shown in Fig.*l toA increase the turbulence' or agitation created b bythe screwconveyor. Y

side elevation of the agitating helix with certain parts-broken away and in section The paddles and sectionalized feature` of the helix indicated in Fig. l, which'are optional; are not shown inf. thistilgure.:

b In 'the drawing referring more particularly b to Fis.V 1, the materialtreating yapparatus com-b y i prises `a trough I supplied with raw sugar orthe fjlikeflbya conveyor Ifroma suitable source of I" Wateror other liquid is introduced into i. l `the trough by meansoffpipe 4 to vform a magma` of anyydesiredconsistency or! density. )The ma- "terial in the troughis agitatedby a rotatable #screw conveyor lor the flikengenerally indicated` .l bythenumeral 5 ariddriven'` by` anyjsuitable means such' as amotorinlsuchamanner that t `the material be advanced in the trough; to"A l `wardthe left where the same will flew over aver,-

tlcal baille or weir I and be delivered to the next.

Intermediate its ends, the helical element Slis formedat the apex'of one of the hollow flights with a angeor bracket I6v (Fi`g; v2) having bolted C or L otherwise suitably `secured Vthereto a collar V.

or ring Iliolf a` diameterV slightly larger than that of the screw conveyor 5 and preferably compesed `of low friction materiaL The ring I'I cooperates with/a` bearing inv theform ofraysta- 'tonary channel member `I3 arranged inthe y trough I ltosupport the screw conveyor assembly intermediate the ends. of 'thelatterjand prevent eccentric displacement due to possibleA localized resistanceof the screw flights tdturningyV v by having thehelicallelernent `9 forming a helical conduit I0 about the shaft Il` for the qowof a` heatjtransferring fluid', a substantially continu'- v ous heat `transferring .surfaceis `providedV `by the* `-scre'w convey'cinr 5 fox-*the material undergoing b "itreatmentl invlthe 'trough I. Moreovergbyfhaw j ing the screwconveyor "assembly supported in'- 55 termediate ,ends by the ring and bearing ar.

treatment inthe trough I can be carried along terrupton or obstruction since the, ring l1 pervmits, uninipeded passage of the materiall therel through.

From the foregoing it is believed that the 'construction and advantages4 of the vinvention mayY be readily understood byz 'thoseA skilled in the art 'Without-further description.. it beingr borne in' rnindth'at 'numerous changesmay be made'in the details disclosed Without departingy 'from'the spirit, of the invention' as set out Iin the following K clairn.` Y

- Whatis claimed is:

an inlet endadapted to loe/connected toa source of heating, wiiuid, vthe loppositeA end vof saidv tubu- Vthe lentire*length-*ofV the conveyor Without in.

'vain a `holloW helical member substantially V-shaped in cross section mounted on said shaft'and form- K 'ing therewith a closed continuous helical conduit y *surrounding the periphery of said shaftV and presenting in continuous heat transferring surface for the material to be .processed in Vthe trough, a 'plug member in said tul'iulary shaft spaced in- Wardly from said inletY end, 'said tubular shaft having radialopeningsadjacent said plug mern- Y herfort'h'epassage ofthe heating fluidi-rom the inlet' endV of'said shaft :into one VVend of said .Y '15g In'material processingapparatus,in combinar f' tion',V a trough for receiving the'rnat'erialto'be processeed;y a tubular .shaft extending, `longitu- A Vdinally through said troughA and being rotatably supported at its opposite ends, said shaft having 20 permitting'V unimpeded passage therethrough of' Y Vthe material conveyed `lar sha-ftjforming an outlet ,for ,the heating fluid, f e I helical conduit, said tubular shaft having radial openings in the outlet `end 'thereof ffor the dis charge ofthe heating fluid from the other end O'saidrhelical conduit into/theoutlet end of said shaft',- aring member secured to the apex K' of onei'ightsection'of saidhelical member in-V f termedatefthe'endsof said shaft, and a stationary channelrnember inv said trough Yforming a hearing for said ring memberQsaid'ring member by saidhelieal member. t VJACOB'JL NEUMAN. 

